March Goals and Motivations.

Friday, March 01, 2013

Okay, obviously, I'm a lot of talk and no bite. I make goals, action plans, and everything, but it all fails. So, I did some research on a few things and found some interesting data.

1) Losing weight, keeping it off and becoming superbly fit: often times there is a mentor involved, some one better than you, to show you the ropes, make you feel like you know it and can do it, to push you further.

2) Habits: Often, there is a cue to begin the exercise and a reward after, something to start it and something for the instant gratification. Sometimes, it's something as simple as a pair of shoes by the door to remind you to walk and the endorphins and waking up as the rewards.

3) Food: How to think of food has to dramatically change. The food must often be nourishing and fulfilling, rather than stuffing and comforting. Choices should be made from its effects on the body.

4) Goals: This is an interesting one. Goals must be something that is personally motivating and they must be positive and progress-oriented.

5) Motivation: This is the hardest part. The motivation has to come from within. It has to be from you, for you. The motivation most likely is something you think about every day.

6) The breaking point: It seems everyone who chooses to lose weight eventually has a breaking point. This is the point in which it is more gratifying to actually go through the healthy motions and going out of your way to get to a goal than it is to simply sit there, suffer, and play it safe. Even The Spark mentions it.

SAWYERPATTI
I'm kinda in the same boat. I'm a champion maintainer but that tipping point has eluded me. That scale seems stuck and frankly evil.

For me the Fitbit was a gamechanger. I have a couple of friends who got one too (positive peer pressure from me) and I feel accountable. I love being challenged to keep up with them and will gloat smugly when I beat them. It really helped me to get out of bed and not sleep too much either.

This week I decided to let Spark tell me what to eat. I just surrendered. We'll see if that makes a difference for me.